Atlantic Pygmy Octopus – Octopus joubini

Description

The Atlantic Pygmy Octopus is very small, only about 5 ½ inches in length overall. Over 3 inches of that is the arms so the mantle part of the body isn’t very much to work with at all. They only weigh about 1 ounce as an adult which makes them one of the smallest species of Octopus in the world.

They can range in coloring due to the ability to change for camouflage. They are normally a whitish color with brown spots all over the body. Yet this can change in an instant depending on what they need to blend with.

Distribution

The Cayman Islands is a common location where these Octopus are found. They prefer water that is warm in temperature. They also seem to do extremely well in water that is clean. It is rare to see them living in areas out here where heavy pollution is a problem. As a result of that their natural habitat seems to be continually getting smaller.

They are great at hiding so you may be in a location where there are thousands of these Octopus. Yet you never see them due to them blending in, being in crevices, or inside of other objects. Even seasoned researchers can have a hard time finding them in their natural environment.

Behavior

Since the Atlantic Pygmy Octopus is so small, it is able to find shelter in very peculiar places. One of them that they commonly use is the inside of clamshells. They have also been known to crawl inside of cans, bottles, and other debris that can be found along the bottom of the water. They will pull of sand around the opening of the location they select so that they can be well hidden.

Many experts find this small Octopus to be fun to observe. They are very playful and seem to be extremely intelligent. They can problem-solve to make their environment one that fits well for their needs. They don’t interact with others unless they are trying to mate so their life is one of solidarity.

Diet /Feeding

These Octopuses consume large amounts of clams so they have to secrete a toxin that will discover the hard shell on most of them. They have a venom that they inject into the prey to paralyze it. They will eat a variety of crustaceans but they seem to be very picky about the taste of their food. They will develop a taste for certain foods and that is what they actively seek.

Reproduction

The Atlantic Pygmy Octopus is ready to mate when they are about 6 months of age. Between March and June is when the females give off a scent that they are ready for mating. The males will provide them with a sack of sperm that goes inside of the body cavity. Then the males will wander away and more than likely die within a couple of weeks.

The females find a location during that period of time where they can lay all of their eggs. They can offer thousands of extremely small eggs at one time. The task of using the sperm to fertilize each of them is a time-consuming task. When the young are born they are very small but developed and ready to tackle life on their own.

Human interaction

Many humans come into contact with the Atlantic Pygmy Octopus. There are quite a few videos found online with them being recorded in their natural habitat. If you have someone time check those videos out. It can be an amazing experience for you to see them moving around and interacting in their natural environment.

Top Octopus Facts

You already know that the Octopus is an amazing creature, but there are plenty of fun facts to discover about them as well. Chances are you only know the basics of these creatures, but that is all about to change.

The Octopus only lives in oceans due to their need for saltwater.

There is no skeleton for an Octopus. This is why it is able to get into very small spaces.

They are considered to be the most intelligent of all invertebrates.

There are many stories about humans being killed by Octopus but most of them aren’t true at all. One species called the Blue Ring Octopus does give off a type of venom that can kill humans.

The ends of the arms on the Octopus have small suction cups. They have sensors on them that allow them to taste the food.

The life span for an Octopus is very short. Many species don’t live longer than six months. Others can live out to five years. The males often die within a few months of mating. The females usually die after they hatch their eggs.

There are more than 300 known species of Octopus. Most experts believe that there are many more we will discover as time goes on.

Each Octopus has three hearts. Two of them allow the blood to circulate to the gills. The other is for the body to circulate the blood.

Octopus can change their coloring to blend into the surroundings for protection. They can also try to act like an Eel or other animals to scare off predators.

A female Octopus can lay up to 200,000 eggs at once depending on the species. Approximately 2/3 of the offspring will die within the first couple of weeks of life.

They have extremely good eyesight.

The largest species of Octopus is the North Pacific Giant Octopus. They can weigh about 100 pounds and have arms up to 14 feet long. The smallest species is the California Octopus. They are less than 1 inch in size.

Octopus is consumed around the world and prepared in a variety of ways. It can be eaten alive, raw, and cooked. It is also cooked with a variety of different spices. You will find tons of recipes online you can try.

Some people keep Octopus as pets because they want to own something exotic. They are well-known escape artists though, with the ability to get out of even the most secure tanks.

They are considered to be very strong for a creature of their size. They can lift things that are many time their own body weight.

Some species of Octopus have been able to successfully kill large types of fish and sharks.

Sometimes it is called the Devil Fish due to the appearance of it. In earlier times this particular appearance was considered to be evil by men on fishing boats.

Should an Octopus lose an arm it can grow another in its place.

They don’t have the ability to hear. They also don’t have any type of organs that give the impression that they were ever able to in the past either.

There are some Octopus that live in very shallow waters but the majority of them live close to the floor of the ocean.

The smaller an Octopus is the more dangerous it can be due to the amount of toxic poison in the body.

None of the species of Octopus make any types of sounds for communication.

Even though these are water creatures, it is known for them to leave water for brief periods of time when in their natural environment.